Warriors of Ryon: Bayden (6 page)

“Maybe not. But somehow I doubt your good deeds started with us.”

He closed his eyes again and took a deep, calming breath. She was right. He did help people whenever he was able, but he’d never brought anyone else here. He’d always made sure victims had been relocated, safe, and taken care of, but that’s where it ended. Only a handful of people knew he was a Reaper, and that was how it had to remain to keep him, his friends, and anyone they came in contact with safe. “Ellie, you don’t know what kind of man I am.”

She stepped closer to him and cupped his jaw. “Yes. I do know what kind of man you are. You’re the kind of man who doesn’t abandon a woman or child in need.”

Her soft hand felt like heaven against his skin. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and hold her close while he made love to her.
Stop it, you worthless bastard. You don’t even know how to make love. All you do is fuck
. She needed a man who could be gentle with her, not a man who’d never known love. She didn’t deserve a rough coupling with him. She made him wish with everything he was that he could be that kind of man for her… A better man. He wanted to touch her, worship her, love her long and slow.

He’d never had that with a woman. Every time he’d been with a woman, it’d been a fast, rough slaking of needs. The women he’d been with had treated the act as nothing more than a relief for their ache. Wham-bam-thank-you, now put on your pants and leave. He’d, of course, gotten release from the sex, but he’d wanted…a connection. The way Ellie touched him made him crave lazy, satiating, satisfying loving, made him want to feel her warm body curled against him after he’d given her pleasure.

She gazed at him as if he were her hero, and Kodo, how he wanted to be. But he couldn’t. He was a Reaper, not a hero. “Please.”

“Please what?”

“My resistance is low around you.”

“Mine too.” She stretched up on her toes and put her lips to his.

Fire raged through him, and his cock hardened painfully. His control finally snapped, and he yanked her to him and deepened the kiss. His tongue played at the seam of her lips before dipping into her sweet mouth. He could drown in her and never once feel the need to cry out for air. Her fingers teased his nape, and her nails scraped his skin.

He tightened his arms around her and devoured her. He’d never wanted anyone as badly as he wanted her. Right here. Right now. Her touch, her words, made him feel as though he were more than a Reaper. She made him feel like a man—a man who could be loved by a woman as precious and rare as she was.

She ran her hands up his chest and kneaded the knots in his muscles, easing the turmoil that ran wild through him. He kissed a path along her jaw to her slender neck where he nipped at her skin and then soothed it with his tongue. She leaned back, offering herself to him, surrendering. A yearning to possess her, to claim her, shot through him. He slipped a hand into her hair at the back of her head and tightened his fingers around the strands. His gentle tugging caused her to arch over his arm, and her pert breasts thrust upward, begging for his touch.

He buried his face between the soft mounds and inhaled her scent deep into his lungs. The hint of lavender that tickled his nose undoubtedly came from the soap he’d given her. While Earth, at one time, had had an abundant supply of lavender, it was rare on the other planets. Fortunately, many of the missions the Reapers took paid well and came with perks, which included things that weren’t easily attained.

He nuzzled her shirt aside along with her bra and took the rosy tip of one nipple into his mouth. He pulled it deep, laving the nub into a hard peak, and she cried out. He froze and looked up at her. Her eyes opened and met his.

“What’s wrong?” Ellie whispered breathlessly.

“I hurt you.”

“No. You didn’t.”

“You cried out. Loud.”

She blushed. “I’m sorry. I’ve never felt anything that intense before. It took me by surprise, but I assure you, you didn’t hurt me.”

He straightened, gazed at her exposed breasts, and growled low. The enlarged rosy tips beckoned, and he wanted to take them back into his mouth and drown in her scent and taste. If she hadn’t cried out, he would’ve never stopped.
Good thing she did. You have to stay away from her.

With reluctance, he pulled her bra and shirt back into place, and she blushed again. She was too good for him.
Yeah, and you’re in here pawing her as though she’s a whore.

After helping her regain her balance, he backed away. “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.”

She came toward him again. “Bayden?”

“Don’t! Go back to your room and stay away from me, Ellie.” When she remained where she was, staring at him, he bellowed, “Go!”

She flinched and then turned and ran from the room, but not before he saw her tears. He’d made her cry. His fists clenched and unclenched as his breaths came quick and ragged. A tic began in his jaw, and he punched the heavy bag so hard the seam split. He continued to pummel the bag until black sand spilled on the floor.

“You know, there are other ways to work that kind of energy off.”

Bayden wished the floor would swallow him up at the moment. He didn’t need this right now. “Zaira.” He went to the fridge, retrieved some water, and drank half of the bottle. “Why are you here?”

“On my way through. Just dropping off some merchandise.”

“What kind of merchandise?”

“You know slayers? Those little things we all shoot people with. Other weapons, gear, and stuff like that.”

“So you had a good run then?”

“Yep. Surprised the fuck out of a small group of Enforcers. They were packing. They weren’t any match for me and my boys though.” She walked up behind him and ran one fingernail down his back.

His skin prickled. He turned to face her. “What do you want?”

“The same thing I’ve always wanted,” she said. “You.”

He laughed. “And here I thought you wanted Conlan. Or was it Thad? Sarek?” He tapped his chin. “No. Stryder, right?”

Her cheeks flamed red. Come to think of it, maybe she and Stryder would make a good pair. He frowned. Or maybe not. Put two short tempers like theirs together, and someone was likely to get maimed.

“That was before I had you.” She wrapped her arms around him, tilted her head, and looked up at him.

She was tall for a woman. And beautiful. No one could deny that, but the platinum-blonde hair and tight leather were only window dressings used to camouflage the lita lurking beneath.

“We had a good time, Zaira. But it’s over.”

She placed her lips against his and kissed him while running her hand down his chest, over his abdomen, and then cupping his cock. She broke the kiss and stared up at him. “I don’t know. I’m thinking you could be persuaded to be up for another round.”

He encircled her upper arms and set her away from him. “I can’t deny we share a past, but it’s over. We work well together. I consider you a valuable ally, but that’s all there is between us.” He started for the door.

“Who’s the woman?”

“She’s not your concern.”

As the doors slid open, Zaira called after him. “She won’t be able to please you the way I did. You’ll come crawling back, begging for more.”

Isn’t going to happen
. Bayden continued on to his room, leaving Zaira behind.

Chapter Seven

Ellie was determined to get through to Bayden somehow. Touching the tablet with her fingertip, she scrolled from page to page, determined to keep herself occupied while Molly was, yet again, helping Sarek in the lab. Ellie hadn’t so much as glimpsed a peek of Bayden in three days, which had been the day that he’d kissed her. She’d heard him in the bathroom taking a shower at a godforsaken hour in the morning when he probably thought she was asleep, but that had been the extent of her run-ins—or rather
not
run-ins—with Bayden.

Lying there listening to the shower hadn’t been easy either. Her imagination had produced rather explicit images of his mouth on her while she stroked his hard body under the spray. She tapped the screen harder than necessary.

Whether she liked it or not, her feelings for Bayden were growing. She’d had a few boyfriends, but none compared to Bayden. His hulking size and daunting demeanor would probably scare the hell out of most people, but she wasn’t afraid of him. Her logical brain told her she might want to rethink that, even if only a little, but her heart wasn’t frightened of him in the least. Funny, since that was the part of her that had the potential of getting hurt worst.

She scrolled through article after article, tapping each, listening as the voice read the subject matter. After a few moments, she came across several articles she’d not seen before concerning the Reapers and Renegades. She selected the first article, but as the info was read, nothing new came to light. In fact, after listening for several minutes, the only new thing she’d learned was that the Reapers and Renegades were rumored to have tattoos of unknown design on their backs. It was suggested that the tattoos were a part of initiation, which reminded her of something a gang might do on Earth.

She never understood initiations that permanently marked an individual. Wouldn’t that kind of evidence be irrefutable if captured by law enforcement? Then again, if these men were as described, she doubted any of them would ever be taken alive.

She shivered. How did someone become that corrupted, unfeeling, maniacal, and twisted? How could anyone hurt someone who was unable to defend himself? Dread crept down her back when she thought of what would happen if someone the size of Bayden attacked her. She wouldn’t have a hope in hell.

She set the tablet down and mulled over the information of the last couple of paragraphs she’d just listened to. Enforcers were revered as honest men who upheld the law. Yet, the king of Koryan was rumored to be corrupt. If that were true, was it logical to assume that those under his orders would be good men? She made a mental note to ask Bayden about that later.

She stretched and wondered if Sarek would be going outside that afternoon. She and Molly had gone with him a couple of times, but he’d made them promise not to tell anyone. They weren’t supposed to leave the compound for any reason without Bayden’s knowledge, but she and Molly had shamelessly pouted and begged until he’d given in to their pleas.

It’d been nice to go outside. The planet’s colors were beautiful. She’d quickly realized it was harder to breathe on their outings as the air seemed a bit denser than Earth’s, but she’d quickly acclimated to it.

Hoping for another clandestine jaunt in the open air, she made her way to Sarek’s lab. When she heard giggling, she stopped just outside the door. She peered around the corner and smiled. Sarek was helping Molly pour some kind of thick purple liquid into a test tube, and it’d bubbled up and spit droplets of goop all over their faces. Molly wore her hair in a ponytail and wore clear safety goggles that matched Sarek’s.

“What are you two up to?”

They looked up.

“She’s wrecking my lab,” Sarek said, then picked up a rag and started wiping the splatters from his face.

“Am not.” Molly’s indignant reply was followed by a laugh.

“Are you going out for samples today, Sarek?”

He looked at her, hesitation glowing in his eyes. “Yeaaah.”

“I need to get outside for a while. I need some fresh air.” Ellie knew he was going to argue before the words were all the way out of her mouth.

“I don’t know. Bayden is gone on a mission, and if something happened, he’d kill me.”

“Oh come on.”

“No. He’d literally kill me.” Sarek’s eyes widened for a moment.

“You’ve taken us before, and nothing’s happened.” Before he could protest again she said, “I promise we’ll stay close to the entrance. If anything happens, we can get back to safety within seconds.”

Molly pouted her lips and fluttered her eyelashes. “Pleaaaassse.”

Damn
. That girl was going to be hell on the men when she was older, because she’d already perfected a pout at ten.

“Oh all right, but neither one of you better breathe a word of this to anyone.” He tossed Molly a cloth. “You have purple goop on your face too.”

Ellie and Molly both raised their hands and said at the same time, “Scout’s honor.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I’m going to take it as a promise.” Sarek put several glass tubes into a bag along with some other supplies, and started for the door.

Ellie waited for Molly to wipe her face clean, and then they followed Sarek.

After the short walk through the tunnel into the open air, Ellie realized she’d lost track of time and it was early evening. She looked up at the twinkling stars and red moon. The first time she’d seen it’d been one of the most terrifying and astounding moments of her life. It was beautiful, but strange compared to the white moon she’d been used to.

She lazed on a rock watching Molly and Sarek dig at the ground. The hot air of the day was quickly turning crisp, and she breathed deeply and shivered. A prickling sensation crawled over her skin. The hairs on her arms and nape stood on end. The calm that had flowed through her only milliseconds before turned to instant anxiety as her instincts screamed in warning. She sat up, but before she could utter a word, she was grabbed from behind and yanked against a hard body.

“Well, well, what have we here?” a man’s voice whispered next to her ear.

She shivered again, this time, not from the chilly air but because of the pure evil that radiated from the man who now imprisoned her. His hand tightened around her throat when she tried to turn and get a better look at him. He tsked at her.

“Ellie!” Molly cried, but as she started for Ellie, Sarek grabbed Molly around the waist, stopping her.

Ellie looked over at Sarek and Molly, who both now stood frozen, staring at her. The need to get Molly to safety coursed through her like an earthquake-born tsunami. She knew she had to do something fast. She stomped down hard on the man’s toe. He yelped, and his hold loosened and she wiggled free. “Run now, Molly!”

Sarek released Molly and gave her a firm shove toward the tunnel. The only comfort Ellie had at the moment came from the sound of Molly’s feet running to the tunnel’s entrance. Before Ellie could gain her footing and run, fingers tangled in her hair and a burning sensation radiated through her scalp. She grimaced and clawed at his hand, but her captor spun her around to face him, and she cried out. He resembled Stryder, but fiercer and deadlier, if that was possible. Cold dread slid through her veins.